Sen. Richard Durbin, Illinois Democrat, said Thursday that Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s primary defeat was not because of his stance on immigration reform.
The assistant majority leader said on MSNBC that Sen. Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, won his primary by supporting comprehensive immigration reform in the Senate, while Mr. Cantor, Virginia Republican, lost by flip-flopping on his position. He said the vast majority of Americans would support the Senate bill if they understood what was in it.
“If you stand up and explain to the American people what the bill is all about, you’re going to get support,” he said.
Mr. Durbin also pointed out that 72 percent of voters in Mr. Cantor’s district’s primary said in exit polls that they supported immigration reform, suggesting that the problem may be something else.
He called on House leadership to take up the immigration reform bill that passed the Senate last year.
“Call the Senate immigration bill on the floor of the House of Representatives, it will pass,” he said.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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